


Squish

by SoDoRoses (FairyChess)



Series: LAOFT Extras [57]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Attempted Poisoning, Bullying, Gen, Panic Attack, Pressure Stimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 17:06:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20313010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyChess/pseuds/SoDoRoses
Summary: Thomas believes most problems can be solved with a liberal application of cuddling.He’s not really wrong, to be honest.





	Squish

**Author's Note:**

> For these prompts:
> 
> “ummmm laoft prompt: virgil bonding with thomas? bro moments?? soft? Pls?” 
> 
> “A LAOF prompt Has there ever been a time when Virgil has gotten worked up about something and Thomas (or Logan if you like) first instinct is to sit or lay across him or something to give him the good squishes like in the brothers childhood.”
> 
> “Did anyone ever mistake Thomas for Logan and shoot some harsh comment or prank at him instead?”
> 
> All from anons on tumblr ^.^

“All good back here?” said Thomas, “And can you get the door?”

Virgil leaned over and pulled the driver’s side door handle, and took the pizza boxes from Thomas. Thomas turned to open the door for Roman, who climbed in the backseat with the drink carrier.

“What’s that?” said Virgil.

“Milkshakes!” said Roman, “AKA Good Neighbor crack,”

“It is _not_ crack, don’t tell him that!” laughed Thomas. Virgil would have to ask one of them later why this was funny and what ‘crack’ was, “But we did want to see if you liked them. Logan likes the taste but he can’t drink them, it’s a texture thing,”

“But what _is_ it?”

“Ice cream and milk basically,” said Thomas.

Virgil held out his hand.

Roman laughed, handing the white cup to Virgil. Virgil looked through the plastic lid, tapping it. Whatever was inside was brown.

“We knew you liked peanut butter,” said Roman, “so we got Reese’s. Hopefully you like chocolate too,”

Virgil sucked the straw, and there was peanut butter yes, but also something new, that was sweet but also very faintly bitter. The drink was cold, and sort of thick.

“I like it,” he said, “A lot, actually,”

“Nice,” said Thomas, taking the other cup.

“Why don’t you have one?” said Virgil.

Roman rolled his eyes.

“Lactose intolerant,” said Roman, “And Thomas is no fun,”

“You’re _welcome_,” said Thomas pointedly. He lifted his own cup and sipped the straw as he put the key in the ignition.

And immediately gagged.

“**What happened?**” said Virgil instantly, and Roman let out a startled “You good?” before Thomas sighed in frustration and set the cup in the drink holder.

“Nothing,” he said, frustrated.

“Is something wrong with it?” said Roman.

“It’s just the wrong flavor,” Thomas muttered, pulling out of the parking space.

“We can just go back in?” said Roman.

“It’s-”

Thomas sighed in frustration.

“If I go in I’ll get in a fight, and we don’t have time,” he said, “I should have known better anyway. I saw Robbie in the back, I just didn’t realize he made the milkshakes,”

“What the fuck did he do?” said Roman, vicious, and Virgil immediately decided he did not like whoever Robbie was.

“I ordered peppermint and he gave me strawberry,” said Thomas, “He must have thought I was Logan since I was with you,”

“He tried to _poison you?”_

“He tried to poison _Logan,_” said Thomas bitterly, “Good think he got me instead, right?”

“Turn around,” said Virgil darkly.

“Nope,”

“Turn the fucking car around,”

“_No,_” said Thomas, “Do you think I’m not mad? Do you think I don’t_want_ to turn around and climb over the counter and punch Robbie in his stupid face in the middle of Pepperoni’s kitchen?”

He shook his head.

“And there’s no way to get him in trouble with his boss. He’ll just say it was an accident, and who do you think they’re gonna believe? But if we fought everybody in town who’s ever been a _dick_ we’d never get anything else done,”

Virgil heard the words, but only barely – his ears were ringing slightly. He made fists in the hem of his hoodie.

Strawberries. Certainly not enough to kill Logan, but enough to burn his mouth, and make him horribly sick if he’d accidentally swallowed it.

A cruel trick, just cruel enough to hurt but not for Logan to put up a fuss about. Maybe not even for Logan to tell anyone. Virgil could just as easily picture him keeping silent and quietly throwing the drink away when nobody was paying attention.

Virgil’s own stomach twisted, half unbridled fury and half nauseating terror. Virgil couldn’t be with him constantly – how was he supposed to protect Logan from an entire town of petty, hostile humans?

“-irgil?”

Especially when they’d rally to each other, especially when Logan could barely be convinced to complain about it let alone _confront_people, and what if it wasn’t just red berries the next time, what if someone _really_ got it in their head to be suicidal-

“-ey, are you-”

“-irgil, babe, can yo-”

And that wasn’t even counting that apparently they couldn’t be bothered to check which brother they were after – Logan was susceptible to the counter-charms, but at least he was sturdier than Thomas, if it escalated to actual _violence_ Thomas was so _fragile-_

Pressure, sudden and heavy. All the air rushed out of Virgil at once, and the ringing in his ears lightened to something more manageable.

It took an embarrassingly long time – several seconds – for the pieces to click back into place. At some point Virgil had bent over his knees, head hung low, and he could feel the familiar weight of Roman’s hand on his shoulder.

But the most obvious sensation wasn’t that.

Thomas had draped himself across Virgil’s back, laying his whole weight on Virgil’s shoulders. He was pressing down as well, it seemed, leaning firmly and clearly trying to distribute it as evenly as possible.

“What- what are you doing?” muttered Virgil.

“You were freaking a little,” said Thomas sheepishly, “There’s no fidgets in the car so I had to make do,”

“I- is there an answer in there somewhere?”

“You know the blanket?” said Thomas, “Same thing. Except, y’know – I’m the blanket,”

Virgil nodded. That did actually make sense – Virgil was fond of the blanket.

“It’s called pressure stimming,” said Thomas, turning his head so his cheek was laid between Virgil’s shoulder blades. Virgil slumped by another degree.

“Officially, anyway,” said Thomas, “We called it squishing when we were kids, which I think is a much better name,”

Virgil snorted.

“How are you feeling?” said Roman gently.

“Uh- better,”

Thomas shifted.

“W-wait!”

The car went dead silent, and Virgil felt his face flare with heat. He turned his head away, mortified.

“Hey,” said Thomas quietly, smiling so Virgil could feel it against his back, “It’s fine. I don’t mind. Just tell me when you want me to move,”

Virgil relaxed.

He glanced around him; Thomas had pulled onto the side of the road. The car was still running, and he’d put up the arm rest between them.

Virgil sat up slightly, and he felt Thomas’s held tilt curiously.

“Good?”

“Yeah,” said Virgil gruffly, “Yeah, you can- sorry,”

Thomas returned to his seat, and Roman moved his hand from Virgil’s shoulder to the side of his neck as Virgil sat up and leaned back against the headrest.

“You really don’t have to apologize,” said Thomas, “If anything _I’m_sorry. I did, you know – totally invade your personal space without asking just then,”

“I guess,”

Thomas grinned over at him.

“Although,” he said, “That’s kinda your fault too – you can’t just freak out in front of me without expecting it to activate my ‘Squish Brother’ feature,”

Roman snickered behind him, and Virgil turned bright red all over again.

“Shut up,” Virgil muttered.

And if neither of them pointed out that Virgil didn’t bother to protest and embarrass him even more, well – Virgil could appreciate small kindnesses

**Author's Note:**

> you can also find me at [@tulipscomeinalsortsofcolors](tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors.tumblr.com) over on tumblr!


End file.
